Nonrefillable bottle



April 16, 1946. P. B. OB ERSTADT 2,398,663

NONREFILLABLE BOTTLE Filed not; 11, 1943 i i l f 6N? W- lEE ,W i w a w 2 H m 1 p W V. 4 a a 1, m \TJTA mm 7 9 74 9 G n p: my? 1 Patented Apr. 16, 1946 UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

NONREFILLABLE BOTTLE Peter B. Oberstadt, Wieklifie, Ohio Application October 11, 1943, Serial No. 505,741

6 Claims. (01. 215-21) This invention relates to non-refillable bottles.

and aims to provide a simple and practical closure means for bottles of this kind.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel closure means, for a non-refillable bottle, embodying a valve which is initially buoyant but adapted to be rendered non-buoyant for. preventing refilling of the bottle. I

A further object of the invention is to provide novel closure means, of the character mentioned,v in which the valve is hollow and is adapted to become substantially filled with liquid for rendering the same non-buoyant.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and particularly set out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partialvertical sectional view taken through a non-refillable bottle embodying the closure means of my invention.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views taken respectively on lines 2- 2, 3-4 and 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a partial vertical sectional view taken through another non-refillable bottle embodying my invention. I

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view thereof taken on line 6ii of Fig. 5.; and

Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive are detached sectional views showing modified forms of the hollow valve embodied in the closure means of my non-refillable bottle.

In proceeding with a more detailed description of the invention, reference willbe made first to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclu-- sive wherein I show a bottle l0 having a neck II, and in which closure means 12 disposed in the neck opening 13 renders the bottle non-refillable.

The neck H is here shown a being provided with internal annularly spaced integral lugs l4 and anannular groove or recess I5 inwardly of such lugs. The inner wall I 6 of the. groove l5 forms a seat for a gasket or a sealing ring ll. Outwardly of the lugs I4 the neck is provided with an internal sealing groove or recess [8.

The closure means l2 comprises a pair of disk and cup members l9 and 20, and a hollow valve member 2| retained in a chamber 22 defined by such disk and cup members. The disk member i9 may be formed of any suitable material, preferably a. molded material such as hard rubber or other plastic. The disk has a central opening or, passage 24 therethrough and the portion of the upper surface of the disk surrounding such opening forms a seat or sealing surface 25 adapted to be engaged by the valve 2 l; The outer edge or periphery of the disk is extends into the groove l5 and has circumferentially spaced notches or recesses 26 therein of a size and shape to accommodate the internal lugs M of the neck II. The notches 26 are spaced to correspond with the spacing of thelugs 14 so that the disk I9- can be moved into the neck II to a point inwardly of these lugs for engagement with the gasket ll. After the disk is has been thus inserted into the neck it is rotatedthrough an arcuate distance sufiicient tomove' the notches 26 out of register or alignment with the lugs M which thereafter prevent removal of the disk.

The cup member 20 may also be molded from suitable material. such as hard rubber, or other plastic, and is shown in the drawing as having a lateral flange 21 around its inner end, which is of substantially thesame size as the disk member l9; The flange. 21 has circumferentially spaced notches or recesses28 therein, similar to the notches 26 of the disk [9; The flanged end of the cup member 20 is moved into the neck I I and past. the lugs l4 after which this member is rotated sufiiciently to shift the notches 28 out of register with. the lugs l4. Prior to the insertion of the flanged end of the cup member 2!] into the neck ll, an adhesive. material or glue 29 is applied tothe inner end of this member and, upon setting, looks or unites the cup member 20 with the disk member 19. After the cup member 25 has been thus assembled into the neck I I, a quantity of sealing material is introduced into the neck and extends into the groove l8 and between the lugs l4 and forms a sealing and retaining ring 36 which will prevent subsequent rotation of the cup member 20.v Since the cup. member 2]} isthus heldagainst rotation the notches 28 cannot be brought into register with the lugs l4, and hence the closure device I 2 cannot be removed fromithe neck H.

. As shown in Fig. l, the cup member .23 hasa plurality of openings 32 through the wall thereof at a, point adjacent its upper or outer end. .These.

openings connect the chamber 22 with the passage or portion 33 of the neck opening IBWhich lies outwardly of the sealing ring 30; The liquid which is to form the contents of the bottle l0 can be initially introduced into the bottle through the openings 32 or, if .desired, the liquid can be introduced into the bottle/before the closure members t9 and 20' are assembled into the neck ll. Theopen-ings 32 also provide a passage for pouring or dispensing the liquid from the bottle l0.

An important part of the invention resides in the construction and functioning of the valve 2|. As shown in Fig. 1 this valve is hollow and is of a size and shape to be retained and guided in an upright position in the chamber 22. The valve can be constructed in any suitable manner such as by assembling the cup-shaped body 2 la, and cover member 2|b which may be molded from hard rubber or other suitable plastic material having a specific gravity greater. than that of the liquid for which the bottle is to be used. It is important to observe that the valve 2| is initially buoyant in any and all liquids by reason of the air chamber 2|c contained therein. I provide means for subsequently destroying the buoyancy of the valve 2| to enable the same to cooperate with the valve rounding the opening 42 forms a valve seat or sealing surface 43 adapted to be engaged by the valve 38. Portions of the wall of the neck 39 are pressed inwardly at circumferentially spaced points, as shown in the drawing, to form the internal lugs 44 which serve as a guide means for retaining the valve 38 in an upright position in the chamber 31. The top Wall of the chamber 31 is formed by a bowed glass disk or plate 45 which spans the neck opening and, at circumferentially spaced points around its periphery, is fused to the internal lugs 44 as indicated at 46. The edge or rim of the disk 45 terminates inwardly of the side wall of the neck 39 so as to leave spaces 41 between the pairs of lugs 44.

' These spaces form passages for a flow of liquid seat and form a check valve for preventing refilling of the bottle. To this end I provide the lower end of the valve 2t with a relatively small or restricted orifice or opening 34 which, in Fig. 1, is controlled by a valve ball located in the chamber 2|c. The chamber 2|c also forms a liquid-receiving chamber as explained hereinafter and has a transverse bottom wall in which the small opening 34 is located.

When the valve 2| is assembled into the neck I I together with the disk and cup members |9 and 2D the valve is initially buoyant, as mentioned above, by reason of the fact that the chamber 2 lc is empty except for the ball valve 35. If the liquid (usually a beverage), which the bottle I0 is to contain, is introduced through the openings 32 after the closure device has been assembled into the neck, the valve 2| will be lifted or buoyed up by the liquid flowing into the bottle through the chamber 2'2 and the passage 24. After the bottle has been filled, either by introducing the liquid through the passages 32 as just described or by introducing the liquid prior to the assembling of the closure devices l2 into the neck II, the bottle is tipped a sufficient amount to permit the liquid to fiow into and fill the chamber 2 l0 of the valve 2 This will readily occur when the bottle has been tipped or inverted, regardless of thespecific gravity of the liquid contained in the bottle, because the ball 35 will drop away from the openings 34 by gravity and'the air con'- tained in the chamber 2|c will'be vented into the bottle through the orifice and will be replaced by liquid. Such filling of the chamber 2|c with liquid will occur automatically during the first act of pouring liquid from the bottle through the openings 32 if it has not previously occurred by tipping or jarring of the bottle. After the chamber 2| 0 has been filled with liquid and the bottle has been restored to its upright position, the ball 35 will close the orifice 34 and will trap or retain the liquid in the chamber. Since the valve 2| 'nowcontains liquid it is non-buoyant and will engage the seat' 25 and close the opening 24 against an inflow of liquid into the bottle. Such seating of the valve 2| against the diskl9 will prevent a refilling of the bottle through the passages 32 but will permit the entire contents of the bottle to be dispensed through such passages.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I show another form of my non-refillable bottle in which the chamber 31 for the initially buoyant valve 38 is formed directly in the neck 39 during the molding or fabrication of the bottle 4!]. In this form of the invention, the neck is provided with an integral transverse wall 4| which forms the bottom of the chamber 3'! and has an opening or passage'42 therethrough. The portion of the wall 4| sur- .into the bottle through the chamber 31 and the passage 42 when the bottle is being initially filled and also permit a flow of liquid out of the bottle when the contents thereof is to be poured or dispensed. y

The valve 38 contains an air chamber 41 and has an orifice 48 in the inner end thereof which is controlled by the ball valve 49. The valve 38 is initially buoyant and during the initial filling of the bottle is floated or lifted by the liquid so as to permit the same to enter the bottle through the opening 42. After the initial filling of bottle, the valve 38 becomes substantially filled with liquid as the result of tilting, jarring or inverting of the bottle and its buoyancy is thereby destroyed. After the valve 38 has been thus rendered non-buoyant it permits the contents of the bottle to be poured or dispensed therefrom but seats against the wall 4| and effectively prevents refilling of the bottle.

In Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive I have shown other forms of construction for the initially buoyant valve. These modified constructions for the valve can be used in a non-refillable bottle either of the form shown in Fig. 1 in which the closure means is assembled into the neck or of the form shown in Fig. 5 in which the closure means is more or less integral with the bottle. The valve 50 shown in Fig. '7 has an air chamber 5| therein'and a relatively small orifice 52 of such size that it will permit liquid to enter and fill the chamber 5| but will effectively prevent such liquid from thereafter flowing out of the valve. In other words the orifice 52 is of such size that it will of itself cause the liquid to be retained in the chamber 5| for rendering the valve 50 nonbuoyant.

The valve 53 shown in Fig. 8 has an air chamber 54 therein and an opening 55 in the bottom thereof. A bubble or film 56 of soluble material forms a temporary closure for the opening 55, so that the valve 53 is initially buoyant. When the bottle is tipped or inverted to pour or dispense liquid therefrom, some of the liquid comes into contact with the film or bubble 56 and dissolves the same thereby permitting liquid to enter and fill the chamber 54 and render the valve 53 non-buoyant.

In Fig. 9 I show a hollow valve 5'! of a similar form but in which the chamber 58 thereof contains a quantity of capillary material 59. This capillary material may be a bundle of fibred glass or the like or may be a bundle of longitudinally grooved rods or any other suitable material which contains or provides a capillary condition so that liquid entering the opening 60 at the bottom of the valve will flow into the chamber 58 and render the valve non-buoyant. Q

' .In Fig. 10 I show another such valve 6| having aeeaees a chamber 62 containing a quantity or body 63 of absorbent material such as cotton, sponge or the like. The material 63 absorbs liquid which enters the valve through the opening 64 thereof and renders the valve non-buoyant.

From the foregoing descriptions and the accompanying drawing it will now be readily understood that I have provided novel closure means for rendering a bottle non-refillable. It will be seen also that my novel closure means utilizes an initially buoyant valve which is rendered non buoyant for preventing refilling of the bottle. It will likewise be seen that my closure means is of simple, practical and economical construction and is adapted to be either assembled into the neck of the bottle or to be incorporated therein during the molding or fabrication of the bottle.

While I have illustrated and described my closure means and non-refillable bottle in considerable detail, it will be understood, of course, that I do not wish to be correspondingly limited, but regard my invention as including all changes and modifications coming within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A non-refillable bottle having a main chamber adapted to contain a quantity of a given liquid to be dispensed and means defining a pouring passage communicating with said main chamber and including a valve chamber and a valve seat at the bottom of the valve chamber, a hollow valve movably confined in said valve chamber for cooperation with said seat, said valve having a liquid-receiving chamber therein and being closed along its sides and at its upper end but having an opening thereinto at its lower end permitting some of said given liquid to enter said liquid-receiving chamber for increasing the specific gravity of the hollow valve and its tendency to move into engagement with said valve seat, and means for preventing the flow of said liquid out of said liquid-receiving chamber.

2. A non-refillable bottle having a main chamber adapted to contain a quantity of a given liquid to be dispensed and means defining a pouring passage communicating with said main chamber and including a valve chamber and a valve seat at the bottom of the valve chamber, a hollow valve movably confined in said valve chamber for cooperation with said seat, said valve being closed along its sides and at its upper end but having an opening thereinto at its lower end permitting some of said given liquid to enter the hollow valve for increasing the specific gravity of the hollow valve and its tendency to move into engagement with said valve seat, and a valve element in said hollow valve for closing the opening thereof and retaining the liquid therein.

3. A non-refillable bottle having a main chamber adapted to contain a quantity of a given liquid to be dispensed and means defining a pouring passage communicating with said main chamber and including a valve chamber and a valve seat at the bottom of the valve chamber, a hollow valve movably confined in said valve chamber for cooperation with said seat, said valve having a liquid-receiving chamber therein and being closed along its sides and at its upper end and being initially empty of and buoyant in said given liquid but having an opening thereinto at its lower end permitting some of said given liquid to enter said liquid-receiving chamber for rendering the hollow valve non-buoyant in liquid having approximately the same specific gravity as said given liquid, and means preventing the flow of said given liquid out of said liquid-receiving chamber.

4. A non-refillable bottle having a main chamber adapted to contain a quantity of a given liquid to be dispensed and means defining a pouring passage communicating with said main chamber and including a valve chamber and a valve seat at the bottom of the valve chamber, a hollow valve movably confined in said valve chamber for cooperation with said seat, said valve being closed along its sides and at its upper end and being initially empty of and buoyant in said given liquid but having an opening thereinto at its lower end permitting some of said given liquid to enter the hollow valve for rendering the same non-buoyant in liquid having approximately the same specific gravity as said given liquid, and check-valve means carried by said hollow valve and adapted to close the opening thereof for retaining the liquid therein.

5. A non-refillable bottle having a main chamber adapted to contain a quantity of a given liquid to be dispensed and means defining a pouring passage communicating with said main chamber and including a valve chamber and a valve seat at the bottom of the valve chamber, a hollow valve movably confined in said valve chamber for cooperation with said seat and being initially buoyant in said given liquid, said valve having an opening in the bottom thereof for permitting some of the given liquid to enter the valve and render the same non-buoyant in said given liquid for increasing the tendency of the valve to engage said seat for preventing refilling of the bottle, and absorbent material in said hollow valve for retaining the liquid therein.

6. A non-refillable bottle having a main chamber adapted to contain a quantity of a given liquid to be dispensed and means defining a pouring passage communicating with said main chamber and including a valve chamber and a valve seat at the bottom of the valve chamber, a hollow valve movably confined in said valve chamber for cooperation with said seat and being initially buoyant in said given liquid, said valve having an opening in the bottom thereof for permitting some of the given liquid to enter the valve and render the same non-buoyant in said given liquid for increasing the tendency of the valve to engage said seat for preventing refilling of the bottle, and soluble means initially closing said opening of the valve but being responsive to said liquid for freeing said opening for the passage of sai liquid into the hollow valve.

PETER B. OBERSTADT. 

